Kenton skeen



(No Modem 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

K.SKEEN.

GATE.

N0.'361,331. Patented Apr. 19', 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

K. SKEEN.

GATE.

N0 36 1 3 3 1 Patented Apr. 19, 1887.1

N FEFERS, Fhulo-L'rlhographer. Walhingtun. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT KENYON SKEEN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,331, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed February 21, 1857. Serial No. 228,411. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that l, KENYoN SKEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gates; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the whole mechanism with the tops of the embedded cases broken away in such manner as to show" the internal mechanism. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the gates. Fig. 3 represents a sideview of one leaf, the angle-ir0n to which it is secured, and the case in which said iron is pivoted, thecase having its side removed to show the connected parts. Fig. 4 represents a central vertical longitudinal section of the case, showingthe angle-iron and the parts connected with it in a reversed position. Fig. 5 represents an end view of the angle-iron with the corresponding casein section ,showing the interior parts looking from the outer side. Fig. 6 represents a perspective View of the vertical shaft and attached arms. Figs. 7 and 8 represent vertical longitudinal sections of one of the lever cases, taken on opposite sides of the central partition, to show the attachment of the levers and corresponding link-rods.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by letter, A designates two similar rectangular leaves of a double gate, each having its lower outer corner, a, secured in an angle-iron, B, hereinafter described, by screws or otherwise, as shown. The leaf has a weight, a, in the form of an angle-iron attached to itsupper inner corner, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

' O G are posts standing on one side of the gate-leaves opposite the center of the angleiron, and each having on the side adjacent to the leaf a long guide-staple, 0, through which passes the wire 0, which runs diagonally across the side of the leaf from its lower edge to its rear edge, the ends of the wire being turned inward and secured in the leaf. The said wire and the staple 'on the adjacent post serve to steady and guide the leaf when it swings on its corners or, as described. Each angle-iron B has a shaft, Z), passing through or secured to its angle and journaled in hearings in the sides of the case or box I), which is sunk into the earth, and upon the arms of said shaft, be tween the angle-iron and case, are the antifriction rollers b which serve a purpose hereinafter explained.

Depending from the angle-iron within the case, in a line bisectiug its angle, is the bifurcated extension If, between the arms of which is pivoted the outer, end ofa link-rod, D, a pin, d, passing through openings in the ends of said arms and through a short longitudinal slot, d, in the rod D.

Attached at one end to theinner part of the fioor of the case I), and at the other end to the end of the pin (1, on one side of the bifurcated extension b is a spring, 01 which curves over the pin from its outer sidebefore attachment thereto. I

d is a spring similar to the spring (P, and attached at one end to the opposite end of the pin (1 and at the other end to the outer part of the floor of the case,curving over the pin from its inner side. The springs d (I therefore act in opposite directions, and are kept from touching the shaft b by the rollers 6, upon which they impinge and which reduce the friction of their motion.

When the angle-arm has its arms at angles of forty-five degrees to the surface of the ground, the bifurcated lever stands vertically downward, and the springs did are neither expanded nor contracted. In this position the leaf would have its inner upper corner vertically above the corner a, sothat the weight a would not tend to move theleaf either way; but when the said weighted corner is on one side of the corner a, the weight comes into play and causes the leaf to fall toward that side,w'hether inward or outward. In so falling the leaf goes down easily and without jar, for although the leverage of the weight is constantly increasing, the springs d d are being put under more and more tension, one in expanding and the other in contracting,the parts being so arranged that the leverage of the weight at all times has just a little more power than the combined tensions of the springs. \Vhen the leaf falls inward or closes, the springd' is put under tension while contracting and the spring d while expanding. When the leaf falls outward or opens the reverse is the case.

The mechanism by which the leaves of the gate are simultaneously operated is constructed as follows: E is a rectangular case or box sunk in the earth midway between the cases b b, and e is a vertical shaftjournalcd centrally in the upper and lower surfaces of the same. 0 c are opposite similar arms standing from the shaft 0 in the direction of the length of the road, and having the inner ends of the corresponding link-rods, D D, pivoted in their bifurcated ends within the easel]. c" c are similar opposite arms standing from the shafte transversely to the road and below the arms a. As the mechanism connected with said arms is the same on each side,a description ofone side only is necessar \d ithin the bifurcated end of one arm 6 is pivoted one end of a link-rod, f, the other end of which is bifurcated and pivoted upon a lever, F.

G isa case or box situated a suitable distance along the road from the case E, and provided with aeentral longitudinal partition, between which and one side of the case is pivoted the lower end of the lever F.

To the opposite arm e to that which is connected to the link-rodf is similarly connected a link-rod, h, the opposite end thereof being pivoted to the lower end of a lever, H, which is pivoted a proper distance above said end between the partition 9 and the side of the case E opposite that to which is pivoted the lever F. t The levers F and H and corresponding link-rods are pivoted on opposite sides of the partitionsg on the opposite sides of the ate.

g I is a trip-rod running entirely across the road and between the levers F and H, the former being on the outer side, the latter on the inner side thereof. The red I has its end portions bent at right angles to its shaft and its ends again bent parallel therewith and journaled in bearings z i, made on astandard, 2', on one side and in the side of a case, J, on the other side, the said case being sunk a proper distance in the earth. The end of the red I within the casing is bent at right angles to the part forming the corresponding journal and has secured to it a weight, j, which keeps the red I raised at all times except when depressed by the wheel of a vehicle.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The leaves being swung inward or closed, the inner arms of the angle-irons are horizontal and their outer arms vertical, and the bifurcated extensions 1) are inclined outward, forcing the pins (1 into the outer ends of the slots (1 of the levers D, which can consequently have no longitudinal movement inward without turning the bifurcated extensions inward and the angle-irons outward. Also, during the closed position of the leaves the rods D, arms 6 and e, and link-rods fand h hold the levers F depressed and the lovers H raised. \Vhen a vehicle-wheel then approaching the gate from either side depresses the trip-rod, the latter depresses the lever H, which, by means of its link-rod and the arm a on the shaft 6, rotates the latter. The shaft, by means of its arms 0', draws inward the rods D, rotating, as described, the angle-irons and leaves outward till the weighted corners of the latter will be a little outward from their corners a a. The leverage of the weight then coming into action, as described, causes the gate to fall outward, putting the springs d" (1" under constantly increasing tension. The leaves are now entirely open and the shaft 0 is rotated by the rods D in the direction that raises the lovers F and depresses the levers H. The pins (2, also, are forced into the inner ends of the slots (1'. The vehicle, having now passed the gate, depresses the trip-rod on the opposite side. The latter depresses the corresponding lever F, and by means of the link-rods f, shaft c, arms 0 and c", and linkrods D, which are moved outward, the leaves are moved inward till their weighted corners are a little inward from the corners a. The leaves then close themselves. The springs d d being under strong tension when the leaves are either closed or opened, assist very materially in the operation, so that very little power is needed to depress the trip-rods. After the trip-rod has been depressed and the wheel has passed it, it is immediately raised by the action of the weight f.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination'of the opposite similar gate-leaves, the angle-irons secured to the outer lower corners thereof and each having its central transverse shaft journaled in bear ings in the sides of a case sunk in the earth, the extensions depending from the angles of the angle-irons and each having a transverse pin in its ends, the oppositely-acting springs attached to said pins in such manner that each pin has the end of a spring secured to each of its ends, the two springs bending around the pin in opposite directions, so that when the corresponding angle-iron is rotated in either direction from a position in which its arms stand at angles of forty-five degrees to the ground one spring will be put under tension whileits coil is expanding and the other while its coil is contracting, the weights secured to the inner upper corners of the leaves, each weight having a leverage slightly greater than the tensions of the corresponding springs, and mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the angle-irons may be rotated in either direction a short distance past the said position in which its arms stand at angles of forty-five degrees, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the opposite gateleaves, the pivoted angle-irons having the bifurcated extensions depending from them, the link-rods pivoted at their inner ends to the opposite arms of the central vertical shaft and having slots in their outer ends, the pin passing through said slots and through openings in the bifurcated extensions, the oppositelyacting springs having their ends attached to said pins and bending around them in opposite directions, the weights on the upper inner corners of the leaves, the central vertical shaft, and mechanism, substantially as described, whereby the said shaft can be rotated from either side by the wheels of an approaching vehicle in the direction to open the leaves till their weights are a little outward from their pivotal corners a and after the vehicle has passed the gate in the direction to close the leaves till the weights are a little inward from said corners, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with the leaves, angleirons having bifurcated extensions, pins, springs, slotted or link rods D, and weights on the leaves, all constructed substantially as specified, of the vertical shaft 6, provided with the two sets of arms e and (2 at right angles to each other, and with the arms e pivoted to the inner ends of the link-rods D, the linkrods f and h, pivoted to the arms e, the levers F, each pivoted at its end between the central partition and one of the sides of a case, G, and having the outer end of the corresponding link-rod, f, pivoted uponit a suitable distance above said end, the levers H, each having the corresponding link-rod, h, pivoted upon its lower end and itself pivoted in the case G, between the partition and the side of the case opposite that on which the lever F is pivoted, and the trip-rods I, running between the corresponding levers, Fand H, as described, journaled in the bearings i t on the standard 2" and case J respectively, and having the weight j attached to its depending end within the case J, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KENYON SKEEN. 

